Crash into Me
by felinefemme
Summary: How and why did Haruto Sakaki get into STN-J?
1. Our lifestyle is contagious

Title: "Crash into Me"

Author: FelineFemme

Rating: PG

Summary: What made Haruto Sakaki join STN-J?

Chapter 1: "Our lifestyle is contagious"

It's another night in Yokohama, and the 14-year-old boy is bent over his papers, trying to do homework from both school and cram school. The phone's shrill ringing interrupts him, and he sighs noisily, wishing he hadn't forgotten to reset the ring volume. "Hello, Sakaki residence," he says.

"Haruto, what are you doing?" a boy's voice says on the other end. "You said you'd hang with us tonight."

"Guys, it's a school night," Haruto groans, running a hand through already messy hair. "And my parents will kill me if I don't raise my grades this semester."

"It's just one night," his friend wheedles. "Come on!"

The boy looks at his watch. There's still time, and his parents won't be home for a while. "Fine, but we gotta get back early, Tatsuya, I don't wanna get busted."

"Okay, whatever," Tatsuya sighs, "see you in ten!"

Haruto debates scribbling a note, then nixes it. He shucks off his house shorts and pulls on his baggy jeans, shoves his feet into Reebox, and grabs his skateboard. "See ya," he mutters to the empty house, then checks his jacket for his cell phone and wallet, just in case. Knowing the guys, they'll probably be hungry and come back late anyways.

It takes a little longer than ten minutes, but he finally makes it to a sweet spot, a place devoid of yelling people, and full of railings, potted plant holders, and, most important, a nice, wide open area that makes up the concrete front yard of the municipal building. The occasional lights in the building makes it seem like it's their own sky, and the street lights provide enough illumination to skate, and wipeout, by.

"Hey, you made it!" a pimply-faced boy shouts, grabbing some air.

"Sweet," another boy with dyed-blonde boy notes, copying the move on his much-decorated board.

"Hey, Tatsuya!" Haruto calls out, and comes to a stop when the ground trembles. "Whoa."

A tall boy chuckles nervously. "They say Yokohama's getting ready for a big one, like the one in Kobe," he says. "Weird, huh?"

"They always say stuff like that," Tatsuya snorts. "Hey, check that!" he says, as the earth shakes hard enough to topple the potted plants from their shelves. "Cool!"

As the tremors increase, the boys yell out their ideas of what magnitude the earthquake is, anywhere from a 3.0 to a 6.9. And then the unthinkable happens -- the ground splits before them, and the tall boy falls in.

"No big," he grins, but the split gets bigger, and, to their surprise, closes up after he falls in completely.

"No way!" Tatsuya yells, and they all try to skate away from the treacherous earth.

"What the hell," Haruto murmurs as he sees a guy out of the corner of his eyes. Maybe it's a security guard who woke up with the earthquakes. It doesn't stop him from skating as fast as he can, though.

One by one, however, all of his friends disappear into the hungry earth. Haruto feels like he's caught in some horror movie, as the ground continues to split into ribbons before him. Even as he makes it to more populated areas, it seems the earth hates him, and he tries to shut out the noise of screaming people behind him. Finally, after hitting one turn after another through the small, backalley streets, he comes to a dead end.

"No," he wheezes, trying to catch his breath. The ground continues to shake, and as unwanted tears come to his eyes, he tries to climb the wooden fence that's blocking him.

The earth shakes, and now he can see the same guy he thought was a security guard approach. For some reason, even though the man hasn't said anything like he might if it were a bad horror movie, Haruto knows this guy is the source of the earthquakes, even as his common sense says it can't be. Desperately, he grabs on to an electric pole while the ground disappears between them.

"No!" the boy shouts as the pole shakes, then sinks into the ground. "No!" Terrified, he looks at the impassive man. "Why are you doing this?"

There is no answer, and now the boy scales the pole until he's reached the top, about a half a meter from the edge of the crevice. He leaps, and grabs desperately to the edge, using his board as something like a grappling hook. He's determined not to let the earth, and this strange man, kill him.

A voice above says, "Grab my hand!"

Surprised, Haruto does just that, grabbing onto the proffered arm. When he's pulled to the surface, he sees it's a guy in a trenchcoat, looking like he escaped from some goth club with his long hair and old-fashioned clothes, except for the guns he and his compatriots are shooting. He's about to ask what's going on, when the older man yells at him, "Stay down!"

Haruto does that, even as the ground treacherously shakes beneath him. Whatever the guys are shooting at earthquake man is doing its job, and he could swear the bullets glow green in the dark. The point man looks cool, especially since neither he nor his shooting buddies seem to be affected by the earthquakes. When the earthquake man falls down, the earth stops trembling, and Haruto realizes he's been holding his breath. A van pulls up seconds later, and the earthquake man is loaded into it.

The boy gets to his feet on shaky legs, his baggy pants hiding most of the tremors. "Who are you guys?" he asks in a squeaky voice, jogging up to the goth guy. "What the hell was that?"


	2. Living on the edge

Chapter 2: Living on the edge

A month later, and it seems like a crazy bad dream. At least, that's what the 14-year-old keeps telling himself. Haruto Sakaki and his mother have been going to back-to-back funerals for his friends, and it seems like the world he once knew is a joke, a movie prop to cover the real craziness that lies beneath. He tried telling his mom, but she merely shook her head, thinking he was still stressing out about his friends' "tragic accidents." He wonders why the police have written it up like that, but nobody takes a teenage skater punk seriously at the police station to bother answering. His father, on the other hand, is despairing, thinking that the deaths have permanently made his son into a juvenile delinquent. Haruto doesn't bother correcting his father, a high school science teacher, since the old man's the high-strung type.

He still hangs with the other skaters, but lately, he's been going off on his own tangent, skating in subway tunnels, through busy intersections, or through shopping malls. He knows he could probably score some serious drugs to self-medicate and take away the pain, but it won't take away his knowledge. Besides, lately, he wants some faster wheels, maybe a downhill racer or a motorcycle. Something with some serious wheels and deadly speed. Expensive, yeah, but at least it would be legal, mostly.

"Do you have a death wish or something?" his father hisses one night after he pays for his son's bail. "Maybe I should just leave you in jail!"

Haruto shrugs. "Whatever," he says, bolding looking in the faces of the curious passersby.

His father, on the other hand, is already cramming the low brim of his hat even lower, ashamed of his son. "One of these days," he starts, annoyed when his son joins in, "you're going to regret your shameful behavior." He halts, and so does the boy. "And you'll have an accident just like your friends," he says, unable to stop himself.

Haruto looks up at his father. This is a new one. "It wasn't an accident," he says quietly.

"I read the news," his father growls, pushing him into the car, "I've talked to your mother."

"They don't know anything," the boy says, looking out the window.

A slap brings him face to face with his father. "Don't you dare insult your mother like that!" the older man yells.

Haruto rubs his cheek, but it's nothing compared to the wipeouts he's had lately. "I wasn't," he says, "I'm just telling the truth."

Another slap, and now Mr. Sakaki starts the car, practically breaking the key in the ignition. "You little liar," he grits between his teeth, "you no-good, stupid punk."

Haruto says nothing, staring outside, wishing he could be driving the car, in charge and in control. No, forget a car, that's too removed, like his dad. He wants a motorcycle, with the same need for balance to go with the extra speed. He wants to be far, far away from everything.


	3. Collision course

Chapter 3: Collision course

Two years later, Haruto Sakaki is taller, dressing better, and, unfortunately, is running late. So late, in fact, that he pulls out his skateboard and goes through the hallways, yelling apologies over his shoulder. 'I can't believe I slept through my alarm again,' he thinks, 'they'll probably lock the doors before I get in.'

Unfortunately, there's one more obstacle he knocks over as he's justthisclose to the door. "Whoa!" a girl says, glaring at him.

"Sorry," he says automatically, then grins. She's kinda cute, in a rich-girl kind of way. Kicking up his board, he extends his free hand to pull her up. "Sakaki Haruto."

The dyed blonde dimples and takes it. "Doujima Yurika. Are you here for the exam?"

He nods as they make their way into the auditorium. "You, too?" he asks in a low voice, looking for a good seat.

She's about to answer, when a sharp voice says from the podium says, "So nice of you to join us. Your names are?"

Sighing, they give it to the dour old man on the stage, then receive their exams and the glares of their fellow competitors. As they make their way back to the seated area, Doujima says in a low voice, "I don't really have to take it, but I promised my folks I would."

"Why don't you?" Haruto whispers back, but apparently he's not quiet enough.

"Mr. Sakaki, do you have something to tell the rest of us? No? Well, now that everyone has a test paper before them, please open it and fill in your name and address," the old man says, and the auditorium is filled with the sound of tearing paper.

When Haruto looks up, waiting for the next set of instructions, he sees the girl also look at him and she winks. He grins, hoping to do his best if a place like STN-J's gonna hire a girl like Yurika.


	4. This is only a test

Chapter 4: This is only a test

After the written exams come the physical exams, to see if they're up to the job. At first, they are tested individually, then they're grouped into two-man teams. Quickly, since he doesn't know anyone else, Haruto grabs Yurika for his partner, and she grins. Together, they make it through the shooting gallery, as well as the seemingly mindless exercises such as building furniture towers (they stole from other teams). She surprises him by her agility and shooting skills, and he surprises the others by using his skateboard for the timed speed test ("Hey, that's cheating!") and willingness to risk his neck to make sure his partner gets the job done.

At the end of their physical exams, the examiner blows his whistle. Shoving his cell phone into his pants pocket, he yells, "Miss Doujima! Mr. Sakaki! Front and center, now!"

The two look at each other, slightly worried, and do as the man says. Great, Haruto groans inwardly, I got us both kicked out before we could even get a foot in the door. "Sir?" he asks.

The examiner glares at them. "Outside. Now."

The two teens blink, then do as he says, to the undisguised glee of their competitors. The door slams shut, and the blonde girl jumps. Her blue eyes widen when they see a police car pull up. "We didn't do anything wrong," she frowns, unconsciously stepping behind Haruto.

A heavyset man with sideburns and a nondescript jacket steps out and says gruffly, "Haruto Sakaki. Yurika Doujima. Come with me." He pulls open the back door of the car.

Yurika hangs back, but Haruto cocks his head. "What's the charges?" he asks, sounding like a street punk. "We were just taking a test."

The girl looks at him in surprise. "Haruto, what are you doing?" she hisses.

He shrugs. "If I'm going to jail again, I'd like to know why," he says belligerently.

The heavy chuckles. "You're not going to prison, Mr. Sakaki. In fact, you're going exactly where you want to go." He glances at the closed school door. "And they're not."

Understanding brightens the young man's eyes, and he grabs the girl's hand. "Come on, Yurika!" he says, pulling her into the backseat of the cop car as she yelps.

The heavy guy chuckles, closes the door, then slides into the driver's seat. "Buckle up, kids," he says through the wire mesh. "And congratulations!"

"For what?" the blonde girl blinks.

Haruto is smiling so widely, he's sure his face is gonna break. "We passed!" he says, not caring that his voice cracked. "We got in!"

"We did?" she says, and the driver nods. "We did!" she squeals in a voice sure to shatter unreinforced glass. "We passed!" She hugs Haruto enthusiastically, bouncing on the seat.

The driver glances back at the newbies one last time and chuckles, steering them towards a quiet corner of Tokyo.


	5. Welcome to the jungle

Thanks, Koharu-Soma!  Sorry, I'm so used to writing stories short-post-by-short-post!  Guess I need to fix that habit;p

Chapter 5: Welcome to the jungle

They pull up into an old-fashioned, European-style building, which surprises Haruto. He wonders if his eyes are as big as Yurika's, but doesn't care. He squints to decipher the English words on the sign, which the blonde girl proclaims as "Raven's Flat."

"That's right," the driver says. "Welcome to STN-J."

They walk through the dimly lit garage, follow him through the nondescript lobby to an elevator, and try their best to take in visually as much as they can. Yurika pulls a compact mirror out of her purse, then touches up her lip gloss. She turns a similar scrutiny on the boy, who squirms nervously. "You're not gonna make me wear makeup," he says.

"No," she smiles, and reaches over and tries to straighten his hair. He bats her hand away and she says, "Hey, just trying to help!"

"Behave," the driver sighs.

"My hair's fine," Haruto growls, messing it up again.

Yurika steps back and gives him an appraising eye, as if she's some kind of fashion model agent or something. "Okay," she finally agrees, and the elevator dings open.

"Walk right over there," the heavy points to what appears to be an office, "and say hi to everyone." The elevator door slides shut, and the two teens look at each other, then walk over.

A man with a vest, a white shirt, and armbands blinks as they walk into the office. "Hello," he says.

"Hi," the blonde smiles, "I'm Yurika Doujima. This is Haruto Sakaki." They bow slightly.

The befuddled man bows back, then smiles briskly. "Ah, the new Hunters," he says, which relieves them both. "Come, meet the others."

They follow him into a more desk-filled area where a young kid with bright orange hair and colored glasses is typing away, oblivious to his surroundings judging by the loud walkman in his ears. "Excuse me," the clerk says, then sighs when he sees the teen doesn't hear him. "Excuse me!" he waves a hand in front of the typist's face.

The kid blinks behind his glasses, then sees the two teens. "Hey, you must be the new guys," he says in a manner belying his years, "I'm Michael Lee, resident computer guru."

Yurika smiles and reintroduces themselves, shaking his hand. "Wow, there's a lot of desks," she notes, "how many people work here?"

"Well, Amon's out, as usual," Michael says, hitting a couple of keys before spinning in his seat to point out ownership. "And Karasuma should be around here somewhere."

"What's that?" a voice says, and they all turn. A tall, slim young woman in a stylish hairdo and business suit walks over. "Are you two the new Hunters?"

Haruto nods, deciding to be the one to proffer introductions. "I'm Haruto Sakaki," he says, "this is Yurika Doujima." They bow politely and smile.

"I'm Miho Karasuama," the young woman says, "and your new partner."

Haruto blinks. "They set that up already?" He wonders if this is a good idea, since she seems like she's graduated from high school already and he's, well, a semi-reformed street punk.

Miho laughs. "It's not set in stone, but yes, they did. Since you're both new, I guess I'll be mentoring you both until you know how things work." She sighs. "Really, Amon should be the one, but I'm afraid he's out right now."

"Who's Amon?" Haruto wonders.

The young woman smiles. "Good question. You could say he's our leader, Kosaka is the chief, and Mr. Zaizen is the head of STN-J. A small operation, but we get the job done." She looks at the clerk. "I wonder where Kosaka is."

A bellow from the other side of the office answers her question. "Hattori! Where's my tea?" A middle-aged man with a small mustache and large bald head storms in. "Who are you?" he demands of the newcomers.

"This is Sakaki and Doujima, they're the new Hunters," Miho says in a placating voice as the clerk hurries over with the tea tray.

The chief looks them over, then sighs. "Seems the Hunters are getting younger and younger," he mutters, unsatisfied. "Miho, let me know when Amon comes in, all right?"

She nods, then smiles at the teenagers. "I'm pretty sure once Amon comes in, we'll have a briefing with him and Mr. Zaizen, and then you'll have met everyone."


	6. Office job

Chapter 6: Office job

"Well," Yurika says brightly, "this desk looks cute. And it's even got a cute little laptop!"

Michael rolls his eyes as Haruto grins. "It's not cute," the hacker corrects her, slightly offended, "it's a highly expensive and most up-to-date model."

"Highly expensive, huh?" the blonde says in an appreciative tone. "Then this is definitely mine."

"Guess I'll take the seat with a view," Haruto says, sliding into a rolling chair. "Never thought I'd take a plain ol' office job."

Karasuma shakes her head. "Trust me, after a while, you're going to wish that were the case," she says. "Because of the caseload, we've been pulling double-time here. I can't tell you how glad I am that the two of you are here."

"How long have you worked here?" Haruto asks her.

"Since I was thirteen," Karasuma replies, straightening her suit jacket. "Ever since most of the staff moved up to the main Solomon headquarters, it's nice to be part of a younger crowd again."

"How old are you, exactly?" the teen squints.

"Haruto," Yurika scolds him as the other woman laughs.

"It's okay," Karasuma says, "I'm seventeen."

"What?" both teens chorus.

"You seem so much older," Haruto blurts out, "ow!" He glares at Yurika while rubbing his arm.

Karasuma doesn't look offended, instead, she looks pleased. "Thanks," she says, running a hand at the bottom of her short but stylish dark hair.

"So, how did you get into the STN-J so young?" Haruto wonders, although he's got an idea.

"I'm a Craft-user," she says matter-of-factly. "I can scry strong emotions from objects by touching them. It helps to develop a profile on the witch that might not otherwise be apparent by simple background checks."

"I see," Yurika says knowingly, "so Michael's got computer skills and you've got Craft skills. What do you have?" she asks Haruto.

He glares at her. "I passed the test, same as you," he says.

"I would've gotten in anyways," she says blithely, "my daddy's rich and he has some influence around here."

Haruto rolls his eyes. "Great," he says. He's stuck with a Craft-user and the girl he thought was cute is some rich brat. Some team.

"Sorry to interrupt the introductions," Michael says, "but Amon needs you."

"All right," Karasuma nods as she grabs her coat. "Guess the rest of the tour will have to wait," she says lightly, "we're going to the armory."

"Cool, we get guns," Haruto grins, relieved he won't be stuck in the office any longer. The two women roll their eyes as he sprints to the hallway. "Hey, what are we waiting for?" he asks.


	7. Training day

For crazy-punk13! Thanks for the fb, I learn something new every day!

Chapter 7: Training day

Karasuma drives skillfully through the early evening traffic, weaving in and out of lanes deftly but not in a risk-taking fashion. Her black car soon abandons the crowded highways in favor of the narrow one-way roads that are a specialty of old and overdeveloped neighborhoods. "Karasuma here," she says into her communicator, "Amon, where are you?"

Both rookies look around them. It looks like any neighborhood, really, with houses and small businesses crammed on the same block, even the same buildings. Haruto stops fiddling with his Orbo-loaded gun, and Yurika stops playing with her Orbo-filled pendant as they pay attention. A terse voice says at the other end, "The witch is heading your way. Call the Factory."

"Will do," Karasuma replies.

"The Factory?" the blonde asks, her blue eyes wide.

"It's where we incarcerate the Witches," the tall brunette says, stepping out of the car. "They also provide us with Orbo, which neutralizes witch powers."

"I see," the girl says, clutching her gun unsteadily as she watches the two dark-haired Hunters already racing down the narrow alley. Taking a deep breath, she runs after them in her impractical platform shoes. "Hey, wait!"

Haruto feels a rush of adrenaline flood through him. First day on the job, and he's already part of a Hunt. He watches Karasuma carefully, flattening his back against the wall as she does, nodding at Yurika when she joins them on unsteady feet, and pointing his gun downward. As they hear someone running towards them, they all tense before springing out of their hiding place.

"Freeze!" Karasuma yells, pointing her gun at the Witch. A beat later, so do Haruto and Yurika, assuming the same stance.

Haruto stares as the Witch laughs, then puts his hands up in what seems like a surrendering position. As he walks forward, however, a chilling gust of wind blows at them, causing Yurika to yelp with the shock. When Karasuma starts shooting, the Witch blocks the Orbo-bullets with his power, freezing them about a foot before it comes to his body. They all shoot, but the Witch continues to block their bullets.

The young man can't help it, he's shivering as the Witch approaches, and not just from the freezing wind. He isn't sure how many bullets they have left, but he knows that when the Witch reaches them, he's going to freeze them into human popsicles.

Haruto's eyes widen as the Witch suddenly stiffens, then topples over. He looks at Yurika, who shrugs, and Karasuma, who looks relieved. "You took your time, Amon," she says, as a tall man steps out of the shadows.

The boy's mouth hangs open in shock. It's the same guy who saved his life all those years ago, with pretty much the same longish hair, goth outfit, and absurdly long trenchcoat. So this is Amon, he thinks, remembering to close his mouth and school his face when Yurika glances back at him and giggles.


	8. Walking memories

For Dark Angel60, who's been real patient with me:D

Chapter 8: Walking memories

Back at the conference room on the fifth floor of Raven's Flat, Haruto tries to pay attention to what's being said and what's going on, but he's still somewhat in a daze. That his childhood hero, so to speak, is in the same room with him, and that he's actually working at a place that would seem unbelievable even to those kids who believe in aliens. He squints in the dimly-lit, high-tech-filled room, as another man joins them. He notices even Amon stiffens at attention, and figures this guy must be pretty important.

The middle-aged man in the business suit has a distinguished air about him, putting even Yurika's rich girl vibe to shame. In a dry but commanding voice, he says, "Welcome to STN-J. I understand you're Sakaki Haruto and Doujima Yurika," he looks at them each in turn. They nod, dumbly. "My name is TakumaZaizen, head of operations here at the STN. I trust Miho and Amon have told you what exactly we do here?" They nod again. "Good. Keep up the good work," and he leaves as silently as he came in.

The rest of the day seems like a dream, at least to the starry-eyed teen. It's like somebody told him he'd be skating on tour with Tony Hawk. He barely registers the fact that once everyone's been debriefed, Michael's already working on getting info for the next case, nor that Yurika and Karasuma are leaving for someplace called Harry's and dragging him with them, nor that he's sitting at some swanky coffeeshop. It's only when he smells food that he shakes out of his daze. "Man, that smells good," the young man smiles, "I'd forgotten about dinner."

Karasuma smiles back, as if an indulgent older sister. "Since it's your first day," she looks at him and the blonde girl, "I'll treat you both."

"It's okay," Yurika says, pulling out her purse, "I've got a credit card."

The brunette woman laughs. "The food isn't that expensive," she says, "and besides, the proprietor's a friend to the STN-J. He'll take care of us." She looks up as the man himself materializes at their table, passing menus. "I'll have the usual," she says, and looks at the teens.

The blonde girl purses her lips, but Haruto, having briefly perused the plastic menu, closes it and looks up in anticipation. "I'll have a Coke, three sandwiches, and a cheesecake," he finishes.

Yurika blinks. "You sure you'll have enough room in your stomach for all that?" she asks as the older girl laughs again.

"I'm starving," Haruto shrugs. He hands his menu to the tall man in the skirt-like apron.

"I'll have a café au lait and tiramisu," the blonde girl says, "some of us have to watch our figures."

The boy raises his eyebrow. "What figure?" and is swatted with the menu. "Hey!"

Yurika sniffs haughtily, sitting up straight. "I'll have you know the women in my family marry highly," she says, "I come from a long line of beautiful women."

"If you say so," Haruto mutters, and is swatted again. "Will you quit that?"

The proprietor snatches the menu away, the corners of his lips twitching up. "I'll bring your drinks in shortly," he says in a light, if slightly rough, alto voice, and leaves.

The blonde girl sticks her tongue out. "In no time, I'll have a chest as big as hers," she points to Karasuma, who sighs, embarrassed.

"Yeah, right," Haruto rolls his eyes, then rubs his arm after she punches it. He's getting tired of being the whipping boy, so he stands and sits in the empty chair, putting Karasuma between himself and the high-strung, slightly violent girl. "Miss Karasuma, hope you've got padding under that suit jacket. Yurika packs a mean punch."

The dark-haired woman sighs again, seeming ages older than himself and Yurika. "Have you seen Amon before?" she asks, changing the subject.

Haruto blinks. "What do you mean?"

The Craft-user turns her full attention on the boy, and he feels like squirming in his seat. "I can't read minds, but by your reaction earlier, it seems a logical conclusion."

He shrugs. "It was a long time ago."

"Oh, so is that why you wanted to join the STN-J?" the blonde girl asks, leaning forward, her blue eyes wide. "I wondered why a skater punk would want to be a part of a classy outfit."

"I'm not a skater punk," the teen glowers under his shaggy dark hair, crossing his arms. "Not any more."

Yurika gives him a tolerant look, while the older girl intervenes. "How exactly did you and Amon meet?"

Haruto doesn't answer for a moment. His dark eyes wander towards the window, seeing the cars reflecting the streetlights, their own headlights flaring past like demented fireflies. "He saved my life. A witch was causing earthquakes, killing my friends, but Mr. Amon saved me just in time. A whole bunch of people swarmed the area, but they weren't cops. I wanted to know who they were, who nearly killed me, and then I found out about the STN-J." His eyes slide back to the two women, whose eyes are now nearly identical in size, and smiles. "School's gonna be really boring after this."


	9. Devil in the details

Chapter 9: Devil in the details

"School?" Karasuma raises her eyebrows. "Haruto, being a Hunter is a full-time job. If you wish, you could have tutors, but all we expect in terms of education is that you pass your exams. After that, you have no obligation. Unlike other occupations, this doesn't require a degree."

"Wow," Haruto says as their drinks arrive, "I really lucked out!" He smiles his thanks at the proprietor before tossing back his Coke.

His drink half-gone in one gulp, the brunette woman shakes her head, stirring her coffee. "But I'm glad you have some thought to your future. What about you, Yurika?"

The blonde girl smiles and shrugs. "Hey, if I don't have to go to school, I won't," she says simply. She takes a dainty sip of her café au lait and sighs happily. "It's the least my parents can do for me. Besides, if I'm going to be in any danger, I don't want to have to worry about grades, too. Stress makes me break out."

"You're a teen, zits are normal," Haruto laughs.

Yurika looks offended. "Maybe for you," she says, her tone putting kilometers of distance between herself and the boy with the shaggy dark hair, "but for people like me, it's unacceptable!" And she sticks her tongue out again, as if she's no older than twelve.

The tall man clucks his tongue as he serves them their meals. "Perhaps you should postpone your conversation," he says in his slightly hoarse alto, "you'll enjoy your meals better."

They all nod obediently and thank him. When he leaves, Yurika gives Haruto's helpings an incredulous look. "I can't believe you're going to eat that," she says, taking a small bite of her tiramisu.

Haruto doesn't answer her, practically inhaling a sandwich whole. "Don't worry," he says, "I'll have more when I get home."

Yurika makes a disgusted face, and Karasuma pauses, her spoon full of her miso soup not reaching her lips. "About that," the brunette says, "we're going to have to look into alternatives."

"What do you mean?" Haruto asks around his second sandwich.

"Well, like I said, being a Hunter is a full-time job," Karasuma says patiently, "but sometimes our hours are like those of police officers. You'll need to be on-call 24/7 and I doubt your parents will appreciate being woken in the middle of the night."

"Oh," he nods thoughtfully, then stuffs the rest of his sandwich into his mouth.

"But we don't have to worry about that just yet," Karasuma says brightly, "and apparently, you don't have to, either," she says to the blonde girl.

Yurika nods, swallowing her gulp of milk and coffee. "They're so busy, flying all over the place," she says dismissively, "I can't imagine what living with parents must be like. They must drive you crazy."

"Sometimes," Haruto admits. "But my mom's cool." The blonde girl raises her eyebrows. "Well, not cool cool, but she lets me do what I want. My dad, he's kind of uptight." The two females nod and he suddenly feels self-conscious. "But it doesn't matter. So where will I go? Not the Walled City, I hope," he says, half-joking in his horror.

"No," Karasuma chuckles, "we do our best to find good accommodations for our Hunters. And transportation. Do either of you drive?" She gets blank looks from both. "Okay, we'll have to teach you to drive, and then get you cars. We can't have you catching the trains or buses when the quarry's escaping another way."

"Could I have a motorcycle?" Haruto asks. "I'd rather have that than a car."

The brunette is surprised, but she nods. "Okay. Yurika, any preference?"

The blonde shrugs. "As long as it's red, cute and classy, I don't care what kind of car it is," she says breezily.

Haruto laughs. This job is looking better and better. He doubts regular cops would get these kinds of benefits, or even allow someone like him, much less Yurika, into their ranks. Yeah, he'll do whatever it takes to keep this job, stay out of his dad's way, and bring the bad guys down. He never was into goals or purposes or that sort of thing, but he finds having a purpose feels really good. And Karasuma (he can't think of her as Miho, she seems way too old for that kind of familiarity), she's changing his mind about what he thinks of Craft users. This is going to be good, he grins, and shoves another sandwich into his mouth.


	10. Epilogue

Thanks to Koharu-soma, crazy-punk13, Dark Angel60, & others who've checked this out. Makes me think there's hope for kids like Haruto Sakaki;D

Chapter 10: Epilogue

Seven months later, Haruto is leaning over Michael's shoulder. "That's it? That's all the information you have on the new Hunter?"

"Be glad I got this much," the redheaded hacker says pragmatically, "usually I can't get within ten meters without tripping off some serious firewalls."

Haruto groans and slumps into a chair. "But that's so boring! I mean, we get more information on witches than this!"

"I can understand their security concerns," Michael says, his eyes sympathetic behind his orange-tinted glasses, "but if she's going to be joining the team, I don't see why we have to be left in the dark."

"'Craft-user, Class A, age 22,' blah, blah, blah, that could be anyone," the scruffy-haired teen rolls his eyes. "Least they could do is attach a picture, see if she's cute."

"The STN-J isn't a dating service," Michael smirks.

"Yeah, well, she's kinda old for me," Haruto retorts, crossing his arms behind his head. "It would still be nice to get more info."

"Doujima and Karasuma are too old for you," the hacker laughs as the other boy glares. "Lighten up. With another Hunter, you people can get more sleep, and maybe she'll be able to drag Doujima from her shopping sprees to join you."

"Yeah, right," Haruto shakes his head, "that would require a miracle worker, not a Craft-user."

"What are you two gossiping about?" Karasuma says, amused. Walking in with a cup of coffee, she looks as cool and collected as usual, despite having pulled an all-nighter with their last case.

"The new Hunter," Michael says.

"Ah," the brunette nods. "I heard we'll be seeing her soon."

"How?" Haruto blinks.

"I cheated and asked Chief Kosaka." She sits down, primly crossing her legs in the pastel skirt.

"Great," Michael rolls his eyes. "Such a low-tech approach didn't occur to me."

"Obviously," Karasuma smiles, sipping her coffee. "I guess that's why you'll never be a Hunter."

"And guys like Haruto are? Man, we're all in big trouble," the hacker smirks.

"What trouble?" a female voice asks.

Everyone turns, expecting to see the blonde Doujima, but instead see a tall, attractive young woman with long black hair, bewitching gray eyes, stylish clothes even the fashionista would approve of, and a slightly bemused, if puzzled look on her face. "I hope not too much trouble," she adds, a smile on her face. The newcomer sticks a hand out. "Hi, I'm Kate."

THE END


End file.
